Kerr's Civello named 'Tarheel of the Week' by N.C. newspaper

By Alaric DeArment

RALEIGH, N.C. — Kerr Drug president and CEO Tony Civello has been named "Tarheel of the Week" by the Raleigh, N.C., News & Observer.

In a story published in its Sunday edition, the newspaper emphasized Civello's efforts to expand the healthcare services that pharmacies provide, something that has been a hallmark of his leadership of Kerr Drug.

"[Civello] wanted to be like his neighborhood pharmacist growing up, the guy down the street he went to first when he broke his nose playing football," reporter Marti Maguire wrote. "By the time he finished pharmacy school, though, the independent pharmacist was giving way to chains that dealt in greeting cards and lipstick more than health care."

The article noted the innovations that have taken place at Kerr Drug under Civello's leadership and have been adopted by larger chains, such as flu shots, medication therapy management and counseling Medicare patients. MTM, widely recognized as an effective means of improving medication adherence, has become a major trend in pharmacy, and flu shots delivered by pharmacists are quickly becoming the norm throughout the country.